Debbie Phillips-Donaldson's Page

While total spending on dogs and related products declined slightly in 2011, dogs still rule the US pet specialty retail channel, according to Pet Product News International's 2012 State of the Industry Survey. Overall, US pet-related businesses -- mainly independent pet retailers and groomers that sell pet supplies -- reported a 3% increase in sales volume over 2010,…

A panel of experts convened in December 2011 predicted the price of corn and other commodity ingredients would moderate this year after record-setting price hikes last year. Though these experts are part of the poultry industry, their predictions might hold insights (and good news) for petfood manufacturers, too.…

While humanization has definitely been a good thing for the petfood industry, it has its downsides, too. One negative for pets, arguably, is that as the human population goes, at least in developed markets, so goes the pet overpopulation. Specifically for food, that means the percentage of overweight or obese pets is increasing at a pace similar to…

The US Food and Drug Administration is working hard -- and partnering with both the human food and petfood industries -- to meet deadlines and develop regulations and policies in adherence to the Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in January 2011. The new regulations and rules will include ones encompassing petfood, some for the first time, and the law's deadlines mean many will go into effect within the next year or so. Will your company and facility be…

Observing the buzz at SuperZoo last week and hearing about its growth over last year's show, I kept thinking (and even remarked to a few people), "Thank goodness for pet humanization!" This engine that has been driving the continued growth of our industry is still humming along. Perhaps it's dipped below full throttle occasionally during the last several tough…